Catalyzing regional growth through advanced aerospace research and manufacturing partnerships.
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Advisory board forms, feasibility study takes shape as backers pursue an ambitious vision for former ACCO complex...
The Reporter (Catskills Today)
A proposal to turn part of Sidney’s sprawling former Acco complex into an aviation college took a step into public view Tuesday, Oct. 14, as an engineer spearheading the effort introduced himself to village trustees and previewed a stakeholders’ meeting set for Oct. 24...
Catskill Country
Early talks at former ACCO complex test whether classrooms - and jet-age careers - could take flight in the Southern Tier
The Reporter (Catskills Today)
STAI centers its efforts on four critical pillars of aviation development: Workforce Expansion, Research and Development, Advanced Manufacturing, and Sustainable Infrastructure.
By focusing on these distinct yet interconnected areas, the initiative ensures a comprehensive and stable foundation for long-term regional economic resilience.
STAI is not a single construction project, academic program, or recruitment effort. It is an execution-focused regional platform that aligns education, workforce development, infrastructure, and industry investment under a unified strategy. By doing so, it converts existing but underutilized regional advantages into a durable, competitive aviation ecosystem.
Additionally, the region suffers from a brain drain with engineering graduates from local institutions like Binghamton University and Cornell University leaving the area in search of better opportunities elsewhere.
(USA Facts 2026) (New York Department of Labor 2026) (Spisak 2025) (Forstadt 2021)
Airlines and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operators are forced to turn away contracts due to lack of qualified labor. This shortage is compounded by deficits in pilots and unmanned aircraft system (UAS) operators creating a bottleneck that strains the entire aviation ecosystem. Existing aviation training institutions, primarily located in urban centers, are unable to scale quickly enough to meet this growing demand, exacerbating the workforce gap.
(Lampert and Shepardson 2025)
New York’s Southern Tier region faces its own structural challenges that threaten its economic vitality. Counties such as Delaware, Chenango, Otsego, and Broome are experiencing population decline, a shrinking manufacturing employment base, and limited development of replacement industries. This has led to underutilized infrastructure and declining municipal tax revenues, further constraining regional growth.
The U.S. aviation industry is currently grappling with a historic workforce shortage that threatens its operational capacity and growth. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) faces a structural workforce shortage of historic proportions. McKinsey & Company projects a deficit of over 60,000 aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs) by 2029.
(Langer, Leblanc, and Krishnan 2026)
STAI addresses both crises simultaneously by building a regional aviation and aerospace economy in a place with the right assets, land and proximity to airports. This creates an environment with lower costs and access to major university and engineering pipelines. STAI then provides the infrastructure needed to take advantage of all these opportunities.
STAI’s primary operational focus during the Project Phase is to catalyze and support the Sidney Aviation college, through a multifaceted approach that includes advocating for state and federal funding on behalf of the North Campus and broader regional ecosystem. Alongside, developing industry partnerships by connecting MRO operators, airlines, UAS companies, and aerospace manufacturers to the region, STAI will be able to foster workforce pipeline development. By aligning K-12, community college, and university programs with regional aviation workforce demand; coordinating regionally by engaging municipal partners, SUNY institutions, and economic development agencies around a unified aviation strategy; and producing research and data that provide the workforce and economic intelligence necessary to drive informed investment decisions.
In the Project Phase, STAI’s primary operational focus is catalyzing and supporting the Sidney Aviation college. This includes: